The present invention relates generally to a supporting harness for a firearm and, specifically, for a firearm harness which enables the firearm to be hoisted vertically to an elevated position such as a hunter's tree stand.
When a hunters uses a tree stand, he or she attaches a harness to the firearm and a hoist line to the harness. The hunter then climbs into the stand without the firearm but carrying the hoist line. After assuming a safe position in the tree stand, the hunter pulls the firearm up to the stand with the hoist line. Since the firearm is laying on the ground prior to hoisting up to the stand, prior art harness and hoisting devices support the firearm so that the muzzle end of the barrel is pulled up first. This prevents dirt or debris from getting into the barrel or otherwise nicking or scratching the muzzle end of the barrel. This also means that the muzzle of the firearm faces the hunter as the firearm is hoisted. Ideally, the firearm is not loaded during the hoisting procedure if the hunter is following standard safety practices. However, one of the primary safety rules is to never handle a firearm so that it is pointed at you, even if you believe the firearm to be "unloaded".
Protective caps have been developed for protecting the muzzle end of the barrel. However, the cap is likely to become separated from the barrel if the firearm is hoisted butt end first. Theses and other difficulties experienced with the prior art harness systems for firearms have been obviated by the present invention.
It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to prove a harness apparatus for a firearm which enables the firearm to be hoisted butt end first while protecting the muzzle end of the barrel.
A further object of the invention is the provision of a firearm harness which is simple in construction and easy to apply to and easy to remove from a firearm.
Another object of the invention is the provision of an efficient and relatively simple method of constructing and assembling a firearm harness which is capable of a long life of useful service.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparat to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.